26 January 2025
The previous Sunday, I had walked Olle 11 and had several mishaps including spraining my ankle. I had not really appreciated just how close to home I was until I went out with my students as part of the biking co-curricular activity and cycled part of the route in reverse. I say cycled, but I have a road bike with me on Jeju and it is, of course, less forgiving over rough terrain than a mountain bike. I definitely have an edge on the road, but pushed my bike (along with the less proficient students - that was my excuse!) along the rougher sections. This was my 13th Olle and I was hoping for better luck than the previous week!
I set off on my bike, following the green route above, which led me to Olle Trail 11 near the spot where I had sprained my ankle a week earlier. For most of the way, I ended up pushing the bike, and in hindsight, I don’t think I saved much time. With all the twists and turns, I’m not even sure it was a shorter route! Everything went smoothly until I joined the main road and entered a roundabout. I had checked to my left for traffic on the anti-clockwise roundabout and was heading for the second exit when a massive truck suddenly zoomed down from the first exit, joining the roundabout at full speed like a runaway train. I’ve heard that roundabouts are rare on the mainland, and drivers there aren’t quite familiar with how to navigate them! It forced me to brake hard.
Still recovering from my near-death experience, I parked my bike in exactly the same spot as the previous week, before setting off on the trail.
The photos:
A lady working in the fields. For westerners like me, this seems unusual as most things are mechanised. The locals always seem to protect their skin from the sun.
Jeju is famous for its tangerines.
Graptopetalum paraguayense is a species of succulent plant in the jade plant family, Crassulaceae, that is native to Tamaulipas, Mexico. Common names include mother-of-pearl-plant and ghost plant.
One of the many gravestones on Jeju with Chinese script.
Waymarkers: blue is forward and orange the reverse route.
Canola or rapeseed flowers (2 photos).
Conch shells decorating the top of a garden wall.
Stacked rocks on reaching the coast.
The photos:
A lady working in the fields. For westerners like me, this seems unusual as most things are mechanised. The locals always seem to protect their skin from the sun.
Jeju is famous for its tangerines.
Graptopetalum paraguayense is a species of succulent plant in the jade plant family, Crassulaceae, that is native to Tamaulipas, Mexico. Common names include mother-of-pearl-plant and ghost plant.
One of the many gravestones on Jeju with Chinese script.
Waymarkers: blue is forward and orange the reverse route.
Canola or rapeseed flowers (2 photos).
Conch shells decorating the top of a garden wall.
Stacked rocks on reaching the coast.
I was thrilled to see about half a dozen haenyeo. In Jeju Island, there is a community of women, some aged in their 80s (this one is no spring chicken!), which goes diving 10m under the sea to gather shellfish, such as abalone or sea urchins for a living. Designated by the provincial government as a symbol of the island’s identity and the spirit of its people, the culture of Jeju haenyeo has played a key role in enhancing the status of women in the community. It has also contributed to environmental sustainability through its eco-friendly fishing techniques.
I have been on the island for about 5 months and this is my second time seeing them at work. The last time, I was carrying a 20-40mm lens, but this time I had a 70-200 f/2.8 lens and one of them was quite close to the rocks. A net in which to store their harvest is suspended from an orange float.
I have been on the island for about 5 months and this is my second time seeing them at work. The last time, I was carrying a 20-40mm lens, but this time I had a 70-200 f/2.8 lens and one of them was quite close to the rocks. A net in which to store their harvest is suspended from an orange float.
I usually prefer hiking inland but in this instance, I really enjoyed the coastal section. have no idea about the story behind the abandoned boots. I do wonder who the owner was and whether he/she continued barefoot. I just found them like this and the photograph was taken without rearranging them. While they look a little scuffed, they seem in good condition with a fair amount of wear left in them. Perhaps I should have checked out the size?
The flower is a Camellia flower, which is native to Korea.
The well attired Road Safety Mannequin had me fooled from a distance. His outfit looks brand new! I think it is there temporarily due to roadworks.
The route remains close to the coast but ascends Sewell-bong which has an ornate hexagonal pavilion and a meteorological radar station.
I cannot tell you anything about the abstract stainless steel sculpture other than it is close to the entrance to the geological park.
The flower is a Camellia flower, which is native to Korea.
The well attired Road Safety Mannequin had me fooled from a distance. His outfit looks brand new! I think it is there temporarily due to roadworks.
The route remains close to the coast but ascends Sewell-bong which has an ornate hexagonal pavilion and a meteorological radar station.
I cannot tell you anything about the abstract stainless steel sculpture other than it is close to the entrance to the geological park.
The route then followed a walkway along the coast passing many springs at the base of a cliff. Unusually, for a volcanic island, the rocks looked layered and evidently porous.
While I don't like walking on concrete, it was a pleasant walk with lots of interest all the way to the fishing port of Jagunae. Here, I was distracted from the blue and orange ribbons marking the route, by the photo opportunities, with a number of vessels returning to port. One bad disturbed two cormorants towards me. I think that the two photographs are of an immature great cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo but could be Temminck’s cormorant, Phalacrocorax capillatus. I will try to find out for sure.
After passing some cafes on the way out of the port, The route goes up Dangsan-bong, without actually reaching the highest point, but instead sticking to the seaward side to give the best views of the islands. At one point, I came across about a dozen tree sparrows, Passer montanus. At one point there were several all on the same thorny branch, but the settings were not right on my camera and they soon dispersed, when I pointed a big lens at them and pulled the trigger, with disappointing results. To be fair, the failing light made the shot a lot more challenging, as I could not stop down for a better depth of field.
One thing that was very prominent along this part of the coast was this partly submerged barge. Research suggests that it is a barge that served as a maritime launch pad for Perigee Aerospace’s space rockets (a Korean aerospace company) that was stranded off the shore of southern Jeju Island on 27 November 2024, due to strong winds and high waves.
Finally, I arrived at the port of Yongsu, where I found these squid being hung out to dry. It is amazing that they are not stolen by seagulls or other birds!
And a very unusual church with a tower looking like a lighthouse, which I am sure is not accidental.
I still had to take a taxi back to my bike and the light was fading. I kept to the roads rather than retracing my outward routes. While I have bike lights, these were left at home. The traffic was light and for the start of the journey, there was a good width of asphalt outside of the white line marking the edge of the road. Later, where they was no path and no excess tarmac, I cycled up the left side of the road so that whenever, I saw oncoming headlights, I could get off and walk along the verge. I stopped at the "Cowboy Steak House" for dinner. For the last couple of kilometres, there is a good cycle path.